Category: Diagram

Special relativity’s fundamental defect – ether redux
Diagram · General · Language · Problem

Special relativity’s fundamental defect – ether redux

John Healy4 Comments

The incompleteness of relativity and quantum theories So, for me, there’s always been a nagging shortfall of visualization for the major theories of modern physics: Relativity and Quantum theories. Successful theories indeed. But a focus on the mathematics, with some hand-waving surrounding implicit assumptions (or definitions), conveying a flawless formulation in popular presentations. As discussed… Continue reading Special relativity’s fundamental defect – ether redux

You can call me Ray Gamma photons – formerly known as rays – the extreme EM spectrum
Diagram · Language · Problem

Gamma photons – formerly known as rays – the extreme EM spectrum

John Healy1 Comment

Table of contents IntroductionAbout gamma photonsSolar gamma photons INTRODUCTION Rays, radiation, particles, waves, fields … what’s in a name, eh? There’s a history [1], an evolution of discovery and understanding. So that sometimes a “particle” by another name is something more interesting [2]. While quantum field theory (QFT) has penetrated the way many physicists think… Continue reading Gamma photons – formerly known as rays – the extreme EM spectrum

Diagram · General · Language · Problem

How early did disk galaxies emerge?

John Healy

The universe’s expansion history is one thing; but then there’s its structural evolution. In particular, how early did well-formed galaxies emerge? • Space.com > “Galaxies in early universe were surprisingly diverse, James Webb Space Telescope finds” by Andrew Jones (Jan 16, 2023) – high-redshift galaxies (galaxies as they were around 11 to 13 billion years… Continue reading How early did disk galaxies emerge?

2022 Nobel Prize – ‘spooky action’ pioneers
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2022 Nobel Prize – ‘spooky action’ pioneers

John Healy2 Comments

[Draft] [“Quantum foundations” series] [“What’s changed in the last ~50 years” series] TABLE OF CONTENTS The buzz Proving that quantum entanglement is real Media articles Takeaways Notes Related posts THE BUZZ Much buzz on Tuesday October 4, 2022, as media marked the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics. So many articles – a hopeful indication regarding… Continue reading 2022 Nobel Prize – ‘spooky action’ pioneers

3D wavcepacket visualization QFT – fields and wave packets
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QFT – fields and wave packets

John Healy3 Comments

[“Quantum foundations” series] TABLE OF CONTENTS QUANTUM FIELD THEORY (QFT) LANDSCAPE Some recent articles prompted me to further explore (revisit once again, eh) some key features of quantum field theory (QFT). Without grasping all the esoteric math. As noted in a prior post (“QFT – How many fields are there?“), not all physicists tally these… Continue reading QFT – fields and wave packets

Cosmic Cliffs Beyond Hubble – adventure begins for James Webb Space Telescope
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Beyond Hubble – adventure begins for James Webb Space Telescope

John Healy9 Comments

Update 7-15-2022 • NASA > APOD > “Webb’s Southern Ring Nebula” (July 14, 2022) Explanation: Cataloged as NGC 3132 the Southern Ring Nebula is a planetary nebula, the death shroud of a dying sun-like star some 2,500 light-years from Earth. Composed of gas and dust the stunning cosmic landscape is nearly half a light-year in… Continue reading Beyond Hubble – adventure begins for James Webb Space Telescope

Diagram · General · Language · Problem

A particle by any other name?

John Healy2 Comments

[“What’s changed in the last ~50 years” series] Fundamental particles have properties; but not due to any constituents (cf. Feynman’s dilemma for an electron’s charge [1]). So, mathematical patterns of … localized “knots” (tangles or twists as in Möbius strips) – particular symmetries – of space-time energy? A landscape of colliding (interacting) ripples … How… Continue reading A particle by any other name?

Diagram · General · Media

Celebrating 20 Years of Human Presence on the ISS

John Healy4 Comments

Lots of media news this week, as the ISS celebrates 20 years [on November 2] of continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory. • Overview of operations [PDF] The ISS is approximately 260 miles above the surface of the Earth, just a bit farther than the distance between Washington, D.C. and New York City. The… Continue reading Celebrating 20 Years of Human Presence on the ISS

Diagram · General · Language

Our friend the atom, mostly empty space?

John Healy1 Comment

[Communicating science series] This is a concept often espoused by science popularizers over the decades. Even the background for plot vouchers in some sci-fi adventures. An amazing fact: We and everyday objects around us are mostly empty space! So, miniaturize matter. Fantastic Voyage! Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Downsizing. That’s why superman could walk through… Continue reading Our friend the atom, mostly empty space?

Diagram · General · Language · Media

Levels of understanding – what are X-rays?

John Healy2 Comments

Ask people on the street “What are X-rays?” and you’ll likely get a variety of replies. About medical and dental X-rays. Stories about Superman’s X-ray vision. (Why does lead block X-rays?) Invisible particles that allow us to see through stuff. Technical explanations about electromagnetic radiation. So, street surveys typically reveal levels of understanding, which I’ll… Continue reading Levels of understanding – what are X-rays?